Focused On Customers, Not Competition: Amazon

Nashville: Amid the rise of quick commerce companies in India, Amazon said it is sharply focused on customers, not competition, and that the Prime proposition of offering users the largest selection at fastest speeds is a "winning" formula that "resonates" in India. The e-commerce giant is upbeat on India's prospects buoyed by the rapid pace of economic growth and digitisation, Amazon Prime Vice President, Jamil Ghani said, adding that the company is investing unprecedented amounts in making its Prime programme "even faster" and that the momentum will continue. India figures prominently as a hotbed of innovation for Amazon in every part of its business, he said.

The company will continue to innovate in India for local markets, emerging markets and more and more for global markets. Amazon offers Prime - a membership programme that promises savings, convenience and entertainment - across 24 countries and over 200 million households and "India figures prominently in that landscape for Amazon". Amazon says its breadth of selection in India covers 'needs' all the way to 'wants' and that it is focused on broadening the selection, with faster speed, more convenience and attractive prices.

Asked about the challenges posed by the rise of quick commerce companies in India, Ghani said Amazon obsesses about customers, not competition. "Prime proposition is predicated on the largest selection at the fastest speeds. For instance, we have over a million items available the same day and four million items available, across India, the next day and so the breadth of selection we see in India covers the 'needs' all the way to 'wants'...and is delivered at ever faster speeds. We're investing unprecedented amounts in making the programme even faster and we're going to continue to do that across the entire country," he told reporters on the sidelines of Amazon's flagship 'Delivering the Future' event here in Nashville. To a question of whether the company would naturally progress towards quicker timelines in a select portfolio of product categories to take on competition from quick commerce firms, he said, "It's a very natural assumption that we're going to get faster on more selections every single day." "The reality is that not only are there a lot of alternatives for our members, but our members' expectations keep going up," he said.